would fly to his chosen perch and re- 
sume his glorious song, tempting his 
audience to return. This time he would 
regale them with the choicest of his 
trills, breaking off in the midst as be- 
fore and mischievously flying away to 
hide himself. This little comedy he 
would repeat three or four times dur- 
ing an afternoon or a moonlight night. 
A black cat of the household was a 
recipient of his practical jokes. When 
she was passing Jip found it exceed- 
ingly amusing to spring upon her back, 
give her a sharp dig with his beak, and 
then spring nimbly to a low branch, 
exulting over the cat's vain effort to 
locate her tormentor. 
A favorite joke of a mockingbird in 
Richmond, Va., was, when espying a 
dog, to utter a shrill whistle in exact 
imitation of a man summoning that 
animal. Thus peremptorily called, the 
canine would suddenly halt, prick up 
his ears, look up and down the street, 
then, seeing no master, trot on his way. 
Again the bird would whistle, but in a 
more mandatory tone than before. The 
dog would stop, gaze about in a puzzled 
manner, then, in response to another 
whistle, dash forward in the direction 
of the sound. The mystification of the 
dog appeared to afford the mocking- 
bird the most delight, more particularly 
when not only one dog, but several 
would collect under his cage, whining 
and barking, vainly seeking to locate 
their masters. 
Among the mammals, the elephant, 
in general estimation, possesses the 
drollest sense of humor. The writer 
never will forget the mischievous 
pranks of a huge fellow among a herd 
of elephants tethered in a pen in Cen- 
tral Park, New York. Only those 
beyond his reach escaped his teasing, 
his sinuous trunk tickling those near, 
now here, now there, his little pig-like 
eyes twinkling with genuine humor. 
His companions did not respond in 
kind, not feeling perhaps in a playful 
rnood, which fact seemed in no way to 
diminish the big fellow's amusement, 
for he continued the sport at intervals 
much to the edification of the specta- 
tors. 
Even when engaged in piling up 
huge slabs of lumber in the sawmills 
in India, these huge animals while 
away the tedious hours of labor by 
many a little prank or joke at the ex- 
pense of their drivers. A favorite one 
is, after disposing of one load and re- 
turning for another, to fill their trunks 
with odds and ends as they move leis- 
urely along, a stray nail, three or four 
pebbles, a tuft of grass with a bit of 
earth still clinging to its roots, a dis- 
carded cheroot, or other small articles 
which may lie in their paths. These 
are collected, and when the trunk is 
packed to their satisfaction, quietly 
curled upward and the mass blown 
against the naked stomachs of the 
drivers dozing upon their backs. 
TAMING THE SMALLER WILD ANIMALS. 
ALDA M. MILLS. 
THERE is a great difference in 
the dispositions of the small 
wild animals, some quickly re- 
sponding to care and petting, 
while others seem incapable of being 
tamed. It is the same with birds. I 
have found owls, hawks, and other spe- 
cies very easily tamed, while prairie 
chickens and quail appear to be inca- 
pable of domestication even in a small 
degree. They will lose considerable 
fear of human beings if left in their 
freedom to become accustomed to 
their near approach, but if placed in 
captivity they pine away and die, or, 
finding some avenue of escape, wander 
away and are lost. The nearest ap- 
proach to domestication in the prairie 
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